2014 and Beyond Building Shopping

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PS:1 will not be able to fit in its current space forever. Opinions on when the move should happen are varied, but we should enter any process well-informed and ready to make a good decision.

The space

  • Industrial flex - commercial zoning or betterff
  • 13,000 square feet as a minimum
  • Existing office/lounge space is desirable.
    • If we book with a legitimate company, they may have available the services of an architect/planner and offer buildout as part of a lease

Location

  • Close to CTA is important.
  • Close to metra is also useful.
  • Closer to downtown can encourage groups (similar to LUG) to meet at the space.
  • Maybe something like an abandoned school, shuttered Dominick's, old warehouse, etc.

Space requirements

Previous hunts (Newhackspace; 2011 New Space Search) have listed out relevant requirements. They're a good springboard.

Accessibility

  • Wide doorways
  • Hand rails in bathrooms
  • Elevator
  • if there are raised entryways, have some ramps that help people drive through

Existing amenities

Power

  • Ample household circuits in all rooms - at least 2 20A circuits per room for lounge/classroom. 4 20A circuits for electronics. 8+ 20A circuits in shop, to be distributed by overhead cord reels, in addition to circuits for tools.
  • 3 phase is a must. Bonus points for disconnects in place around shop space
  • 400 amp service for the building

Rooms

  • Multiple single-occupancy bathrooms at minimum.
  • Shower in one of those bathrooms is a plus
  • A room to hold meetings/classes/lectures, separate from project working areas.
  • Small, offfice-like rooms for quiet workspace

Other utilities

  • Existing shop air
  • Existing dust/fume extraction and ventilation? Feasibility of install?

Parking

  • Free street parking has been sufficient in our current space
  • If there's a lot on site, 15-20 spaces would probably be the minimum for usefulness (think events like LUG)

The Process

  • Begin search ~9 months before move-in date
  • "real" companies will offer incentives for quality lessees and long-term leases
    • build out, services of building planner
    • start of occupancy months in advance of start of payment - allow us to possess two spaces simultaneously for an orderly move
  • our neighborhood is very close to PMD zoning
  • find and hire real estate lawyer
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